Logan • Are playing cards evil? In the 19th and early 20th century, leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints thought so.
It wasn’t an uncommon perspective at the time, according to the “Playing Religion” exhibit that opened recently at Utah State University. A portion of the exhibit explains how many religious leaders taught that card games were a “frivolous waste of time that encouraged dissolute behaviors such as gambling and drinking.”
But Latter-day Saints found a holier path, creating board games inspired by the Utah-based faith. In 2020, USU purchased a collection of 85 of these board games from Tschanz Rare Books in Salt Lake City for just under $3,000, according to Paul Daybell, a special collections librarian at the university.
“We’ve since added a handful of other games bringing the current collection total to 93,” he said. “Our oldest games are from 1946.”
(Naomi Cragun | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint games on display at the "Playing Religion" exhibit at Utah State University.
The collection is now on display at USU’s Merrill-Cazier Library. Many are simply adaptations of popular games such as Uno and Monopoly. Others are their own game entirely.
Daybell said the collection offers a unique peek at church history.
“It’s an interesting way to see what sorts of things were valued in the church culture,” he said, “and they kind of used games as a way to teach [kids] outside of the normal sermons.”
The games are specific to Latter-day Saint and Utah culture, he said, which only adds to the fun of playing them. Daybell shared one example in a version of The Game of Life, where a player returning from a mission is immediately instructed to get married.
“And that would make someone in Salt Lake laugh,” he said, “and make someone outside of Utah culture be like, ‘What? What does that mean?’”
(Naomi Cragun | The Salt Lake Tribune) Latter-day Saint games on display at the "Playing Religion" exhibit at Utah State University.
Other games allow players to settle Zion, answer trivia questions about Jesus Christ to earn the title of “disciple,” and strategically split a ward (congregation).
The exhibit is located in the library’s lobby and will be open until March 15. After that, it can be found in the library’s Special Collections & Archives section.
